BASKETBALL; Mets! Yanks! Jets! Giants! Do Knicks Dare to Dream?

No one has to inform Pat Riley that people are eager for the Knicks' season to begin. The Jets are 1-4. The Giants are 1-3. And the Mets and Yankees have just completed losing seasons.

But while Riley knows expectations are high, he also wants to diffuse the notion that the Knicks are a championship team waiting to be crowned. New York looks good on paper. But with seven new players expected to make the 12-man roster, Riley will know much more once the Knicks begin training camp Friday in Charleston, S.C.

"I like this situation, personally, because I think it's a great challenge for me, for the organization, and for the players," the Knicks' coach said today during his annual state-of-the-team address. "We were a team that won 51 games and that captured the imagination, at least for one season, of a town that wanted to see them do well.

"Quite frankly, for some of our veteran players, I don't know if they'll have another opportunity like this again. If this team is to be as good as it can be, it's a tremendous challenge for them. We've got a fan base, a media base, and you've pretty damn good players. Now, can you get together? That's the challenge." Let's Talk Issues

Riley said the coaching staff would leave for Charleston on Tuesday to get a head start on preparations. But these are some of the issues on Riley's preseason agenda: establishing a starting lineup, establishing a starter at point guard, finding the best ways to use Charles Smith's many talents and taking a long look at Anthony Mason at a small forward.

Riley said that he was leaning toward starting Doc Rivers at point guard over Greg Anthony, although he had not made a final decision. No matter who starts, Riley wants to avoid the point-guard controversy that revolved around Mark Jackson, Rod Strickland and Maurice Cheeks during recent Knicks seasons.

"I know what Doc Rivers can do. I've scouted him, I know his strengths, I know his weaknesses," Riley said. "I also know what Greg can do. I'm only interested in which one complements the five guys that are out on the floor."

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As for Smith, Riley will use the 6-foot-10-inch forward at all three frontcourt positions, but he wants to look at different combinations. He may start Charles Oaklay and Smith at forward. Or he may start Smith and Mason, or Oakley and Mason, or Smith and Tony Campbell, or Oakley and Campbell.

Riley is intrigued by the team's versatility, and he will probably look at many different lineups during the team's eight preseason games. The Knicks will be in Charleston until Oct. 14, then open their preseason schedule Oct. 16 in Albany against San Antonio.

Perhaps Riley's biggest concern is the team's chemistry. The Knicks lost two strong locker-room leaders, Jackson and Xavier McDaniel, who signed a multiyear contract with the Boston Celtics after playing out his contract with the Knicks. While the Knicks are deeper, they also have many players who are used to being a focal of their team's offense: Patrick Ewing, Rolando Blackman, Smith and Campbell, to name a few.

Riley pointed out that many of the veteran players like Ewing, Rivers, Blackman and Smith, had received personal honors but had never played on a National Basketball Association championship team.

"They all carry some baggage," Riley said. "It's got to be in their minds, 'How come I've never played on a championship team?' REBOUNDS

Knicks Coach PAT RILEY said he expected PATRICK EWING, who played on the United States Olympic team, to report to camp on Friday. "Unless I get a midnight call, which I doubt, Patrick will be there," Riley said. "He knows how important it is."

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A version of this article appears in print on October 6, 1992, on Page B00013 of the National edition with the headline: BASKETBALL; Mets! Yanks! Jets! Giants! Do Knicks Dare to Dream?. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe